SECOND ANNUAL FINANCING & INVESTMENT SESSION :
UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF AFRICAN AQUACULTURE
November 14, 2023 , 14h0 0 – 17:00PM
The First Financing and Investment Session was held during the Africa’s inaugural AFRAQ Conference in Alexandria, Egypt in March 2022. To continue the dialogue towards tangible results , the 2nd Finance and Investment Session during AFRAQ23 will build from these discussions and set forth a roadmap.
The potential of aquaculture development for Africa’s economic growth is well recognized and supported with a considerable “blue food” demand that is consistently unmet by capture fisheries. A great deal of projects both globally and in Africa, have been financed with mixed results. There is increasing interest by the private sector, development finance institutions and governments to invest in aquaculture value chains in Africa. Global investment companies are exploring opportunities to establish financing and investment mechanisms to further support aquaculture businesses in the African continent, including those that are not yet of direct commercial interest to the commercial companies. A coordinated, strategic and innovative approach to financing and investment is needed to ensure that national, regional and continental policies, strategies and aspirations are met and that initial investments are used to catalyze additional financing to fully realise aquaculture value chains in a viable and sustainable manner.
The First Financing and Investment Session held during the 2022 AFRAQ Conference, successfully con vened a wide range of stakeholders to share experiences and identify some of the priority actions. These ranged from improving coherency in the national and regional policy environment, to promoting innovative investment models, and leveraging existing financial instruments to support the small-scale entrepreneurs in Africa, to establishing a pan-African mechanism for collecting and sharing information on aquaculture issues and investment opportunities.
Using the above as a point of departure, a small informal multi-stakeholder group of interested organizations and investors have collaborated since the last AFRAQ event to share knowledge and identify ways to support aquaculture businesses through increased investments into sustainable aquaculture within the region . In order to drive tangible results for finance and investment the industry, the 2nd Finance and Investment Session during AFRAQ23 will build from these discussions and set forth a roadmap.